On this day in 1986, Newsweek magazine published an article detailing the economic problems in Lone Star, Texas, in southern Morris County. The site was probably settled around the time of the Civil...(Read More)

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NAVIDAD RIVER

NAVIDAD RIVER. The Navidad River rises at the juncture of the East and West Navidad rivers and Middle Creek two miles east of Schulenberg in southern Fayette County (at 29°36' N, 96°50' W) and flows south-southeast for seventy-four miles to its mouth on the Lavaca River, below Lake Texana in southern Jackson County (at 28°50' N, 96°35' W). The river was named for the Nativity of Christ. The East Navidad River rises north of Freyburg in southern Fayette County (at 29°49' N, 96°58' W) and flows nineteen miles east and south to join the West Navidad River just northwest of Oakland in northeastern Lavaca County (at 29°36' N, 96°50' W). The west branch rises south of Farm Road 609 and east of Muldoon in southern Fayette County (at 29°48' N, 96°59' W) and flows south and east for twenty miles to its confluence with the east branch. Middle Creek rises between the two branches southeast of Freyburg near the juncture of Farm roads 956 and 2672, in southern Fayette County (at 29°46' N, 96°56' W), and flows eight miles before joining the East Navidad near the Southern Pacific Railroad line southwest of Weimar (at 29°40' N, 96°51' W). After the three branches unite, the Navidad River meanders southeast through the coastal plains, largely parallel to the Lavaca River, across eastern Lavaca and central Jackson counties, to form Lake Texana seven miles east of Edna. The remains of an old steamer are located at the juncture of the Navidad and the Lavaca rivers. The upper reaches of the Navidad are narrow and often filled with log jams. The river is not spring-fed and depends on runoff for its flow, giving it limited recreational use except in periods of heavy rainfall. In 1915 efforts were made to encourage improvements along the river. In 1941 the Jackson County Flood Control District was established; it was renamed the Lavaca-Navidad River Authority in 1969. Major towns along the river include Edna and Morales, and major tributaries of the river include Sandy and Mustang creeks. The river is flanked generally by flat terrain with local shallow depressions, surfaced by clay and sandy loam that supports water-tolerant hardwoods, conifers, and grasses.